With a strongly-worded tirade that tried to link legally-armed citizens to the white nationalist demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia earlier this month, California Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) introduced a resolution in Sacramento opposing federal national reciprocity legislation.
The resolution, according to a press release, was “sponsored by Everytown for Gun Safety,” the Michael Bloomberg-supported gun prohibition lobbying group.
Santiago’s press release claims, “If either of the Gun Control Reciprocity Acts were to be signed into law, out-of-state gun owners with concealed carry permits would not have to abide by California’s rules and regulations on those permits.”
However, that does not appear to be true. The language of S 446, the John Cornyn-sponsored Senate version of the proposed reciprocity act specifically says otherwise:
“Conditions and Limitations.–The possession or carrying of a concealed handgun in a State under this section shall be subject to the same conditions and limitations, except as to eligibility to possess or carry, imposed by or under Federal or State law or the law of a political subdivision of a State, that apply to the possession or carrying of a concealed handgun by residents of the State or political subdivision who are licensed by the State or political subdivision to do so, or not prohibited by the State from doing so.
“Unrestricted License or Permit.–In a State that allows the issuing authority for licenses or permits to carry concealed firearms to impose restrictions on the carrying of firearms by individual holders of such licenses or permits, an individual carrying a concealed handgun under this section shall be permitted to carry a concealed handgun according to the same terms authorized by an unrestricted license of or permit issued to a resident of the State.
“Rule of Construction.–Nothing in this section shall be construed to preempt any provision of State law with respect to the issuance of licenses or permits to carry concealed firearms.”
Translation: Carry in another state and you carry under that state’s regulations, essentially the same as driving in another state under your own state’s driver’s license.
Santiago also complains that “Earlier this month, much violence erupted at a ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville, Virginia (one of 34 open carry states). In many news reports, including a segment produced by Vice News that has been viewed by nearly three million people thus far, white nationalist protestors including Alt-Right shock jock Christopher Cantwell can be seen carrying guns, many of them assault weapons.”
But was anyone shot? The only fatality at the Charlottesville protest was the result of a car ramming into a crowd.
Second Amendment activists have been encouraging members of Congress to take up the proposed Reciprocity Act when they return from summer recess next month. Ironically, anti-gunners have argued for years that gun owners should be licensed “just like drivers,” but now with the possible passage of reciprocity legislation, gun prohibitionists are sounding alarms.
